


it's very good for practicing self-control

by lostin_space



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Communication, Gen, Mentions of Echo - Freeform, Stuck in a Room together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22070956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space
Summary: Kyle gives Max some advice.
Relationships: Max Evans & Kyle Valenti
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	it's very good for practicing self-control

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on april 2nd, 2019, while the first season was still airing

“Well, this isn’t awkward at all.”

Max looked over at Kyle who sat across from him in Liz’s reconstructed lab. She had asked three of them to meet her there, but she and Michael had yet to show up. That left Max in the awkward position of being along with his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. 

“I mean, it doesn’t have to be,” Kyle said, dragging his fingers across her table. Max watched him carefully. There was too much of his and his siblings DNA in this room, and too many things that could kill them, to be comfortable with someone he didn’t like being haphazard about it all.

“Doesn’t it?”

  
“No. Look, me and Liz haven’t been a thing since high school. We only hooked up, like, those two times since then and that was right when she got back. She chose you. No hard feelings.” Kyle insisted. Max furrowed his eyebrows, his stomach tightening. Sure, he’d heard a rumor or two, but he liked to think they weren’t true.

  
“You’ve hooked up since she came back?” Max asked hesitantly. He regretted asking as soon as he did. Why the hell would he want confirmation?

Kyle looked just as uncomfortable realizing he told Max new information.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine. We weren’t together, it’s absolutely none of my business.” Max insisted, taking a deep breath. It really was none of his business and he had no right to have any feelings towards it, but it made him uneasy just how much Liz’s ex knew about him. If Kyle got jealous, he could easily take all the information he had on their existence and fuck them up for good. Max literally had no choice but to trust he wouldn’t. It was like diving into the ocean and just hoping nothing felt like attacking.

Neither of them knew what to say after that and Liz and Michael didn’t seem to have any intention of showing up. Max was beginning to feel like this was some annoying set up to get them to work together. However, he didn’t see the point in working together more than they already did. Liz, Michael, and Kyle could do the science and medical part of things while Max took care of investigating. It was his role in all of this. He didn’t have their brains.

“So, uh, I was talking to Alex the other day,” Kyle began suddenly which only brought Max confusion, but he looked to the other man anyway. “And we were discussing shit about the fourth alien and you guys. He knows a whole lot of shit now and he let slip how you struggle with control. I mean, Liz has mentioned it before, but it’s usually buried in scientific babble when she’s talking to herself. But, like… If you’re really struggling controlling yourself, I might be able to help.”

Max stood up straight, his heart beating faster than normal as he watched Kyle with a new level of caution. He didn’t understand how Kyle would even begin to know how to handle his powers. Kyle didn’t have any and he didn’t even know they were a thing up until a few months ago. Yet, the most shocking part was that he wanted to help.

“What?”

“I had anger problems back in high school and the first year of college. Had to go to group therapy for it and learned some coping skills. I think they might overlap since you don’t seem to have too much issue controlling until you get overwhelmed and lose control of yourself. That’s what anger management is, just learning how to keep control of yourself.” Kyle explained simply, shrugging his shoulders. Max didn’t relax even though he was intrigued. While there were some ties to his outbursts to anger, not all of them were. But they were all due to his control over his life.

He’d have to Google it.

“Why would you want to help me?” Max asked. Kyle rolled his eyes.

“I told you before, I don’t hate you. We’re not exactly friends, but there’s no animosity. But I am friends with Liz and I care about her a lot. If she’s going to date you, I’d be more comfortable knowing that you were at least making an effort to work on your control.” Kyle said. Max’s fists balled up as anger slowly began to pump into his veins.

“I don’t know what you think I’m capable of, but I would never hurt Liz.” he insisted, his voice deepening by a few steps. He didn’t care how angry he got, Liz would never be on the receiving end. Sure, she pissed him off sometimes, but that was life and he loved her. Hell, he saved her life by damn near risking his own. She was his first priority and the fact anyone would think otherwise was proving to cause the exact kind of anger he was trying to avoid.

“I don’t think you would, at least not intentionally. But you could scare her. You have scared her. Look, I’m just trying to help. Do you want my tips or not?” Kyle offered, seeming more than fed up with his machismo. The offer was tempting, though, so Max took a heavy breath to push away his annoyance. Kyle was right. He had scared Liz and he wanted to avoid ever doing it again. If that meant getting help from her ex-boyfriend, then he was willing to suck up his distaste and work together.

“Okay. What helps?”

“Breathing for one. Sounds stupid, but seriously. Just whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed, just take yourself out of the situation and don’t focus on anything but breathing for a bit. Oh, also, exercise. Like, if you feel it building, go workout. It’ll help redirect that energy. Talking it out helps. Even if there’s no one to talk to, just talk to yourself. Don’t let it win. That’s the main thing. You can’t just let it build and build and build until you cause a citywide blackout. You gotta tackle it as soon as you feel it.” Kyle suggested.

Max gave a humorless smile, “I always feel it.”

“Okay, well then when you feel it going south. As soon as you start losing control of yourself, you tackle it.” Kyle insisted. Max nodded slowly, trying his best to appreciate the advice that he fully intended on using. There was nothing subtle at his outbursts and he always felt childish when he had them. Especially when Michael and Isobel seemed to have so much control. “Look, man, you’re not alone. I know it feels that way and that’s why you let it get to the point where it’s scary, but you’ve got people willing to listen. Guerin, Isobel, Liz, fuck, even I’ll listen if you absolutely need it. I really do just wanna help.”

There was something far too sincere about Kyle’s sentiment that made him uneasy. He’d held this image of Kyle being an utter piece of shit since high school and he couldn’t understand why he was even being so nice. Sure, he said it’s because he cares about Liz, but that math still didn’t add up. But, regardless, Max nodded.

“Thanks. I’ll take that into consideration,” he said. Kyle smiled, nodding his head.

Before the conversation had the change to continue, the door opened. Liz and Michael both strolled in, cups of frozen yogurt in their grasps and matching wind-stained red cheeks.

“You told us to meet you at two and it’s two thirty,” Max said. He really did try his best to sound annoyed, but she was too cute to annoy him for more than a couple seconds.

“And turn down fro-yo? Absolutely not.” Liz scoffed. Michael pointed his spoon at her and nodded, Max and Kyle both snorting a laugh. When Max glanced over at Kyle, he was faced with the reality that maybe Liz really was just enough to make Kyle be a good person. Perhaps that wasn’t far fetched at all.

“Now, let’s get to work.”

**Author's Note:**

> also on my tumblr: spaceskam


End file.
